Contact: Katryn Conlin, Communications Director
1-651-385-6364, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical in process to offer Associate of Arts degree, change mission scope, and consider name change
Winona, MN (February 3, 2016) -- Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical has submitted an application to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to offer the Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree. This would expand the college's mission beyond technical education and allow students to complete a transferable 2-year degree. With the change of mission comes a need to consider changing the name of the college.
To seek public insight, the college has placed a form on its website for name suggestions at: www.southeastmn.one/name. The form will be available until February 10.
Southeast Technical currently offers certificates, diplomas, Associate of Science (A.S.), and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees. Most of these programs are designed for workforce readiness and revolve around business, health care, the trades, and technology.
Mission Change: By expanding to include the Associate of Arts degree, the college's mission would expand to emphasize the college's transferable liberal arts and sciences courses. A student who successfully completes an Associate of Arts degree at the college would be able to transfer to a four-year institution as a junior. Without an A.A. degree, the transfer of two-year programs is not always guaranteed.
Name Change: With an expanded mission comes a dual purpose, as Southeast Technical would become a fully comprehensive community and technical 2-year college. For this reason the college is considering options to change its name to communicate the expanded mission.
"Southeast Technical belongs to the Winona and Red Wing communities -- indeed to the entire region -- and we treasure the role we play serving your educational needs," says President Dr. Dorothy Duran. "For that reason, as the administration, faculty, and staff work towards expanding our programming and updating our mission, we are seeking public suggestions for a new name for the college."
The new name could be an adaptation of the current name, or it could be something entirely new. To seek public insight, the college has placed a form on its website for name suggestions at: www.southeastmn.one/name. The form will be available until February 10, at which point a committee of college stakeholders will evaluate possible names and make recommendations to the college administration.
A decision on the college's application to offer the Associate of Arts degree is expected to be made this spring; if approved, the degree option would become available to students as soon as fall 2016.
For more information, contact Communications Director Katryn Conlin, [email protected], 651-385-6364.
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About Minnesota State College - Southeast Technical
Southeast Technical is a two-year institution that provides its students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they will need for a lifetime of learning. With more than 30 programs of study and 90 degree, diploma, and certificate options, many students are prepared to launch a career in a technical or trade field as soon as they graduate. Others begin the pathway to a four-year bachelor's degree by earning transferable college credits in liberal arts and sciences. The Winona campus opened in 1949, merging with the Red Wing campus in 1992 and becoming Minnesota State College --- Southeast Technical in 1999. Southeast Technical is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. For more information, visit www.southeastmn.one.